Bladed weapons are primarily a support weapon. Their generally low AP usage compensates for their low base and critical damage, and can be quite useful for rifle users who get closed down by an enemy. Like all melee weapons it can be great for saving ammo, which is quite important early on. By late game however, while still sometimes useful and boasting a modest crit rate, they simply don't do enough damage to be consistently viable.

Blunt weapons are a little more unwieldy than bladed weapons and generally have a higher AP cost, but their damage output makes it absolutely worth it. They have high crit damage, but a low crit rate. Crits will often take the enemy out, but their regular hits are formidable enough. Hard to use without putting points in, so best for mid-late game.

BrawlingDamage: HighArmour Penetration: MediumModifications: None

On the surface, Brawling seems like the middle ground of melee weapons. It deals less damage than Blunt, and uses more AP than Blades. However, it's quite the hidden gem. Once you start putting points into Brawling its crit and To-Hit Chance shoot up, to the point where eventually you will always hit, and that hit will always be a critical. Combined with a respectable armour penetration, brawling will let you rip most enemies apart. It's definitely the most consistent choice of melee weapon, but it's led down by its lack of mods. Like blunt, ideal for mid-late game, and suggested for a character with a good balance between AP, combat speed and constitution.

Assault rifles are the most versatile weapon in the game, and probably the most consistently dangerous. Their modifications can significantly increase both the range (able to rival a sniper rifle) and THC. With rare exceptions they can be fired in both semi-auto and burst; single shots don't tend to be very powerful on their own, but a burst of three can provide a pretty high damage output for an often reasonable AP cost. I found that by banking AP, I was able to alternate between turns with a burst shot, and a burst followed by a single for a steady hail of lead. However, they burn through ammo fast, and you have to bear in mind that you might find yourself sharing with heavy weapons. High tier ARs use 7.62mm ammo, which is commonly shared and expensive. They aren't suitable for close quarters, and your accuracy will go down if an enemy is too close.

Energy Weapons

I haven't provided overviews for this category because there's such massive variations. It covers plenty of weapon types from pistols to rifles. Energy weapons operate uniquely in this game, as they do not have use armour penetration. Instead, they have an armour threshold, which works the opposite way to penetration; if an enemy's armour rating is above the threshold, it will deal large damage in accordance with the difference. Energy weapons are generally pretty accurate and quite useful all around early in the game. It's only once you start getting better weapons with higher thresholds that their specialisations become apparent. Better energy weapons are basically useless on unarmoured targets, but can shine quite nicely on armoured ones. The top tier weapons aren't great due to high thresholds, and low multipliers combined with a high AP cost. I found them most useful from early to mid game, however the high accuracy and range of the rifles offset the low damage multiplier so don't write them off for late game either. Ammo also tends to be quite heavy, but it is, unsurprisingly, unique.

It kills me to say it but, if all the red wasn't a giveaway, handguns are only really good for use as support weapons. Only the top tier handguns have a respectable base damage, and it's offset by high AP cost. They won't compete with most guns for dealing damage in a turn, but they are good for conserving ammo and delivering a coup de grace to a wounded enemy, or taking out weak mobs. With enough mastery, they have the highest base crit rate of all the firearms, but their crit damage isn't that impressive. Equip them with a long barrel to offset their limited range.

'Heavy Weapons' is a little misleading. Despite the skill icon being an RPG, it only pertains to machine guns (and a minigun). They can be fairly powerful for a while, with medium to high AP usage. However, by endgame they're pretty lackluster, offering slightly less damage than a burst of an assault rifle from the same tier, but using more AP and over twice the ammo. They're far more useful in early-mid game, but the high ammo cost means you'll have to use them sparingly. Additionally, they are very heavy (no shit), can't carry any modifications, and have no alternate firing modes, making them very inflexible. Sure are fun, though.

Shotguns have a unique firing mode; if you select force fire with control, you can aim their cone of fire. All units within the cone can potentially be hit when you fire. This means you can potentially hit a large number of targets in one turn, however it can be difficult to get enemies to group together enough to make it worth it, and it also carries the risk of friendly fire. Shell for shell, shotguns are not very powerful. At close range you're better off with another weapon if there's a single target. However, around mid game you start acquiring shotguns that have a burst fire capability, and they can deal a respectable amount of damage. If you can group enemies together, you're laughing. Ammo is unique with the exception of Rose's Thorn, a unique handgun.

Sniper rifles are powerful, accurate and long range weapons with a pretty respectable crit rate. They're pretty wonderful really. Consistently useful throughout the game, it always pays to have a good sniper. They do have drawbacks, however, so you have to be careful how you employ them. They have a high AP and reload cost, and an often limited ammo capacity (extended magazines help immensely). Early in the game, when your weapon masteries are still low, a weapon jam will likely cripple you for two turns. Like ARs, your accuracy will go down if an enemy is too close. Their ammo also tends to be both heavy and expensive, so be careful with your reserves. On the plus side, you don't have to worry about sharing it with another weapon, with the exception of several midgame rifles that use the high demand 7.62mm ammunition.

SMGs are pretty dangerous against unarmoured targets, and will usually tear through them pretty well. As far as lead storms go they're in the middle ground between ARs and machine guns, usually with a minimum burst of three and an alternate fire mode of 6, with a few guns offering a little more. Like ARs their AP cost varies, usually in accordance with their damage, and a well built character should be able to get off two standard bursts without moving, using most guns. SMGs are most useful in early to midgame. The sheer amount of fire you can lay down with them, combined with the lack of any accuracy penalties at close range means they can be invaluable tools, especially if you use a long barrel to extend the range. However, late game, they just aren't much use against well armoured targets. Consider making your SMG user competent in something like Blunt weapons in order to combat that. They also eat through your ammo reserves, especially if you're firing off ten bullets a turn, and they share ammo with pistols. It's not a big deal early on, when most use .38 rounds or even 9mm, but once you upgrade to .45 rounds, SMGs can get very expensive.